Community outreach starts with youth

Monthly talks begin

Ala Stanford Frey, M.D. is using her own life as an example as she reaches out to teens with a simple message: You can be anything you want to be.

The pediatric surgeon and director of the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities at Temple University’s School of Medicine is spreading that message through monthly talks that address health and everyday life concerns for inner-city teens. Frey knows the challenges they face first-hand, having been born to teenage parents in a crime-plagued North Philadelphia neighborhood.

“Hopefully, these kids see someone who grew up in an inner-city neighborhood, like them, and realize they can make it,” says Frey. “Statistics show that for girls growing up with a single parent, you’re more likely to be pregnant than to finish high school; for a guy, you’re more likely to have a serious run-in with the law than to graduate high school.”

That’s why the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities has partnered with Allegheny West Foundation. The organization has been working to improve the quality of life for area residents for 40 years. Together, both groups hope the monthly meetings can help the youth achieve their goals.

“The fact that they choose to come to these meetings and not sit in front of a television or stand on a street corner tells me they’re here to learn about how to propel themselves forward,” says Frey.

The outreach isn’t just focused on teens. Faculty and medical students address the practical needs of adults and the elderly population. For example, they might provide advice to working parents on how to provide a stable home and for seniors, they can make sure their prescriptions are correct.